Capítulo 75: Chapter 75 A Normal Day in L.A.
*Random Not Evil Djinn Shows up.*
"So many wishes for a new Chapter. Very well. But be careful what you wish for."
Chapter 75 A Normal Day in L.A.
The evening of May 19th, Harry watched the TV in the L.A. Hotel room with a moderate amount of amusement. The local news included things which would never appear on the News if he watched it in New York, so the story of a silver Missile being seen flying through the streets of L.A. was something he could only enjoy on the Local News networks.
The images of the 'missile' were blurry and captured from a very long distance away. Harry recognized it though and could only smile. It seemed that Stark was having fun.
Yinsen had visited his family's grave for a few days and left shortly afterwards to return to Europe after Tony made the arrangements to get his suit back. There were a lot of things Yinsen wanted to do and with Tony's help, he'd be able to make his family proud until he reunited with them in the future.
Once the time was set, Harry put on a formal tuxedo that was neither gaudy nor ostentatious. Harry wasn't a big fan of formal events but he couldn't just wear a t-shirt or he'd stand out too much.
According to the news, Tony Stark's 3rd Annual Benefit for the Firefighters Family Fund was a gathering place of the biggest celebrities in this half of the country which was ridiculous to Harry. He chose this event as a meeting place because it sounded formal and low key. Apparently common sense isn't what it used to be or that was just how common sense worked in L.A.
After dressing for the occasion, Harry left the Hotel and called for a cab to take him to the Disney Concert Hall where the event was being held. L.A. traffic being what it was, Harry called the cab a half hour before the event which was about three miles away. He figured he should be able to just barely make it in time.
Unsurprisingly, the cab seemed to just park in the middle of traffic and stay there a few hundred feet from the destination at some point, so Harry paid the fare and got out of the cab to walk the remaining distance. At least where he got out was close enough to the Concert Hall for the saturation of Stars to be high enough to draw attention away from Harry. Harry's TV special was mostly shown on the east coast and unless someone watched his Educational Videos, it wasn't likely they would recognize him. Even if they did watch those videos, Harry in a tuxedo looked very different from Harry's Professor robes so he wouldn't stand out too much. The only other thing Harry might be recognized from was that U.N. Moleman thing and if someone recognized him from that, there was nothing he could say.
Or so he thought. Not only did someone pick him out of the crowd and recognize him, it was someone Harry actually recognized. Someone who tried to kill him the last time they met.
"Harry Potter," said the finely dressed man of Asian descent with sharp eyebrows, long hair tied into a ponytail, and well trimmed facial hair as he approached Harry with clear murderous intent.
Harry saw that the man was of course wearing his rings, but they were not emitting the powerful energies they were the last time Harry encountered this man meaning they were dormant at the moment. With a challenging smirk, Harry replied, "Gene Khan. Were you waiting here for me?"
Harry couldn't think of any other reason for the CEO of Khan Industries to meet him here of all places.
The Mandarin sneered and said, "I let you live last time child but now there is nothing that can save you. Unless you want you and everyone you care for to die, you will cooperate."
Harry raised an eyebrow with clear amusement. "Let me live? Have the years caused your brain to rot? You didn't let me anything. And everyone I care for can handle themselves just fine thank you very much." Both Wanda and Rogue could teleport, Jade was immortal, could go out of phase and fly, and if this arrogant jerk ever tried to hurt Jean, his regret would only last for about five seconds before he was turned to dust.
The man who was clearly used to being an overlord of his era saw no deception nor fear from the sixteen year old genius. This was unacceptable to him.
Harry had already paused to go over the possibilities and unpaused. While Khan was thinking of a retort that would likely start with the words, 'You Dare?!', Harry first said, "So you really were the one behind the Ten Rings. When your company started behaving so erratically after Stark got out of the cave, I had my suspicions, but seeing you in person really does confirm it. What did you want with Stark anyways?"
Seeing that his involvement was guessed so easily, Gene calmed down and steadied himself. He was a martial artist first and foremost and allowing his emotions to show so easily did not become him.
Unfortunately, Harry was just getting started, "Oh, I see. You want the shares I got of Stark's company. I thought Stane was the only one looking for those, but it seems I was mistaken. Was Stark's kidnapping just a prelude to Khan Industries' expansion towards the west?"
Khan's face didn't twitch a single muscle, he only continued to glare at Harry. After a moment of silence he said, "Your company is not as well protected as you think. Destroying it from within would take but a single word from me."
Harry didn't bother to hide the emotion that threat caused him, but much to the Mandarin's consternation, Harry's only emotions were direct amusement mixed with contempt. In fact it looked like Harry had to fight to suppress the urge to burst into laughter.
After shaking his head, Harry just said, "You are making a lot of assumptions Mr. Khan."
Khan's sheer arrogance completely outweighed his martial discipline and he was unable to prevent the sneer that formed on his face. With bone deep arrogance, the warlord said, "Nothing can defy the Mandarin. You will hand over those shares or you will suffer pain worse than anything-"
Harry couldn't take it anymore and started laughing. The best he could do to keep himself from making a scene was to clench his jaw and keep his lips together, but the fact that he had to put visible effort into stopping himself from laughing in the Mandarin's face clearly displayed to the aged martial artist what Harry thought of his threat.
The Mandarin had to grit his own teeth at Harry's clear mockery. The Mandarin was not a fool. He knew that a Wizard training in Kama-Taj, especially one of Harry's age, clearly would not grow weaker over time. Discovering that Harry had gotten an invitation after making a donation was simple and finding Harry's hotel room and even the number of the cab sending Harry so he could track it to the Gala was just as easy. The reason Khan decided to meet Harry here was to limit the possible options in case Harry really had grown more powerful.
After a few seconds, Harry took a moment to calm himself and said, "I cannot be compared to my previous self who was still in training. When I last saw you, I was but a learner, now I am a Master."
Still trying to intimidate him, Khan said, "You think a few years of training, wait. Did you just quote Vader at me?" That realization actually caught the warlord off guard.
Harry looked up and gave a light, harmless smile. The corner of Khan's eyes saw the knife appear in Harry's hand which had clearly been empty before. This entire time Khan had been menacing Harry with his intent to kill him, but in the instant the knife appeared, he sensed Harry's intent to kill Khan. The fact that Harry was clearly willing to strike him in public and the fact that Harry's killing intent surpassed Khan's own was not something he predicted.
Still, his instincts had been honed through hundreds of life and death battles which caused him to move to grab and disarm the blade and his mastery of martial arts granted him the speed to grab Harry's wrist before the knife could be thrust into Khan's abdomen.
Little good it did. The Harry now really could not be compared to the Harry from when he first met the Mandarin. Red energy from Cyttorak's realm flowed through Harry's body preventing his momentum from being halted by anything and no matter how much Chi Khan had, his rings had obviously been deactivated meaning he was vulnerable at the moment. Sure, Harry was certain the Mandarin could reactivate them with a thought, but there was a very large difference between instantaneous and a delay. The only ring which could save Khan at this distance was the Intangibility ring but that one was the most difficult to use and he had not expected to be attacked. Harry was supposed to be a good guy.
The moment Khan caught Harry's wrist, he realized that he was unable to prevent Harry's thrust. Khan moved to the side but it was too late and the blade sliced through Khan's tailored suit and drew blood. The moment the attack was made, the blade in Harry's hand returned to his inventory.
Khan took a few steps back and realized that even though they were in the middle of a crowded sidewalk, no one was looking at them. Harry had already set up a Notice-Me-Not.
As if he was speaking of something as mundane as the weather, Harry said, "I told you that you were making a lot of assumptions Mr. Khan. The first was that I wouldn't kill you here and now. In case you're wondering, you've just taken a dose of venom from the King of Snakes. I'd get that looked at if I were you." Although the Notice-Me-Not field was strong, it wouldn't prevent people from ignoring a murder so Harry couldn't kill him within the field. Murdering someone while using magic had an adverse reaction with the magic and would definitely cause the field to fail and draw attention to himself. Slicing him with a Basilisk Envenomed Goblin blade when the man let his guard down from the Star Wars quote on the other hand was doable.
Khan felt the venom from the wound and looked at Harry with both confusion and fear. He was used to being the bad guy and dealing with naïve good guys and wanna-be heroes. They were in the middle of a large group of camera carrying civilians and Harry Potter had no record of criminal misdeeds to give evidence that he would actually try something. Even if he did, the Mandarin was confident enough in his strength to prevent it. Under these circumstances, the Mandarin was absolutely certain he could approach, threaten the child into giving him what he wanted, and kill him later.
Harry's killing intent shocked him further. The Mandarin had certainly killed more humans than Harry had, but the outright number of kills was probably much less. That and the fact that nearly everything Harry killed nearly matched him in strength during Battle Meditation and with the add-on of the Immortal Dragon Chi which far outstripped Khan's own mortal Chi, Harry's killing intent completely suppressed Khan's own.
Khan felt his organs start to fail and though his body was trained to the point that mundane poisons and illnesses had no effect, he could still feel Death's approaching footsteps and knew he was in trouble. His rings could allow himself to defeat any mortal but none included the ability to heal. Fear turned into panic as he began to realize how badly he'd fucked up and how limited his options were. Khan ran away while holding his wound. The wound itself barely bled from the thinnest of the knife so there was no pool of blood nor great red stain on Khan's shirt.
Harry really wanted to kill him but now was not the time. Harry claimed to have killed everyone who'd ever tried to kill him, but there were exceptions and the Mandarin was one of them. Harry would be satisfied if the Basilisk Venom killed him, but he wouldn't count on that type of cockroach dying so easily. Not that it mattered. Harry's knife was still stained with Khan's blood. If Khan was still alive in a week, he'd use his blood to send him off in a way that would make the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black proud.
On his way to the Concert Hall, Harry saw Stane giving an interview and did his best to walk around the man and the media.
Something that stood out though was the Watcher Informant hanging out with a pair of beautiful girls. Harry hadn't seen one before, but the records of Kamar-Taj described them as, 'Mortals the Watchers used to observe things without the need to interact with them.' The Watchers wouldn't be able to see Harry but this informant could tell them about him so Harry decided it was best to avoid the man. Watcher Informants were gifted an aura which allowed them to blend in and prevent people from questioning their presence wherever they were. Without the ability to sense energy, a mind guarded through advanced Psionics, and the protection of the Phoenix, sensing the aura would not have been possible for Harry and without the records of Kamar-Taj, he wouldn't be able to recognize it for what it was anyway. The aura was ridiculously subtle.
Upon reaching the door Harry showed the guard his invitation and was allowed through without issue.
Harry noticed that Stark wasn't at the bar which meant the playboy hadn't shown up yet. Since he was guaranteed to go to the bar first, Harry decided to head over and take a seat. What he didn't expect was the man already sitting at the bar to turn and give Harry a double take. He not only recognized Harry, but clearly didn't expect him to be there.
"Professor Potter," he said, trying to get Harry's attention.
Harry sighed and asked, "How did you recognize me? The internet? The TV thing? I'm pretty sure I've never been on a magazine cover."
The man gave an amused smile and said, "I'm Agent Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement Logistics Division."
Harry gave the man a deadpan expression and flatly said, "That's quite a mouthful."
"I hear that a lot. We're working on it."
"Sure~ you are. So what can I do for you Agent Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement Logistics Division?"
"I was hoping we could debrief you about your involvement in Stark's rescue. There's still a lot of unanswered questions and time can be a factor with these things."
Harry rolled his eyes and said, "I met someone else outside the Concert Hall who also insisted on having a chat with me. Gene Khan. Heard of him?"
Coulson was unable to prevent himself from tensing up for just a moment before he said, "I have. Can I ask what Mr. Khan wanted with you?"
Harry smiled at how polite the man was and answered, "Well since you asked so nicely, he demanded I hand over the 11% of Stark International Stock I bought and threatened bodily harm to myself and everyone I care about if I did not acquiesce."
Coulson's pause clearly showed that he was not expecting such an answer. "What did you say? We can protect-"
Harry held up a hand and said, "I don't require protection Agent Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement Logistics Division."
Harry then looked Coulson in the eye and said with a smile that was not a smile, "As for how I responded, I suspect Mr. Khan is on his way to receive medical care at the moment. I registered myself as a lethal weapon for a reason after all and don't take threats to myself and those I care about very well."
Coulson's shock was evident. Harry shrugged and said, "Yeah, he wasn't expecting that response either. Have I answered your questions about Stark's case to your liking?"
Coulson's initial confused look turned into a calculating frown. Harry hadn't said anything about Stark, but Khan's presence and his demanding of Harry's acquired shares of Stark International were both very big clues about pieces of the puzzle Shield had clearly been missing and Coulson was a very intelligent man.
Of course Harry was also trolling them. He gave them the information they needed, but not the information they wanted.
Coulson tried to change the subject, "I was hoping for information on the asset used to rescue Stark."
Harry answered, "I pay him in Metagems. That's probably the only useful thing I can really tell you about him that you didn't already know. Anything else would be less than useful."
From behind, the pair heard someone shout, "Kid!"
Harry turned around to see Stark with a freckled redhead Harry recognized as Virginia "Pepper" Potts.
"Mr. Stark," Harry replied.
Tony walked past Harry to the counter and ordered three drinks.
Coulson showed how much fun he would be at a party by stating, "Professor Potter is sixteen Mr. Stark."
Tony looked at the killjoy the same way he'd look at someone who kicked his favorite car and then turned to Pepper. "This is Harry, the guy who paid the guy who drove me out of the desert and gave me ice-cream."
He then turned to Harry and said, "And this is my lovely assistance Pepper who is uncomfortable dancing alone with her boss due to my, 'reputation,' so I'd like to invite you over."
Harry asked, "You want me to dance with Miss Potts for you? Alright, but you should know I'm married."
All three adults looked at Harry with surprise. Tony was the first to speak up, "Already? At sixteen? Why?"
Harry shrugged, "If you could control who you fell in love with and when you fell in love, it wouldn't be love."
Coulson smiled at that and Pepper gave a light blush. Tony actually looked pensive as if he'd just been given a complex puzzle that looked interesting to solve. After a moment he said, "No, you can't have her."
Harry said, "Really? I pay really well."
Pepper immediately answered, "No. I saw that U.N. thing and could hardly keep myself from yelling when I saw you post kick-me signs all over those creatures."
Tony gasped, "Oh, I remember that. That was you? That was genius!"
Harry smiled proudly and Pepper rolled her eyes at the man child.
Tony noticed the three drinks arrive and downed one quickly before picking up the other and passing it to Pepper and holding the third for himself to the eyeroll of the collective group.
Coulson said, "I was hoping I could debrief you both actually about what happened. Can we put something on the books?"
Harry shrugged and said, "I'll be in California for a week."
Stark said, "Sure, no problem."
"Then the 25th, say 7pm, Stark International?"
Harry nodded and Stark said, "Sure, why not," and then grabbed Harry and tried to pull him. Harry considered staying put, but decided to go along with it and allow himself to get dragged away.
Harry took a final look at Coulson who had just pulled out a cellphone. It seemed like his day wasn't going to get any better with the stuff Harry had sprung on him.
Stark lead them to a balcony and said, "So, where can I buy some of those Metagems?"
Pepper sighed and said, "I think he means, 'Thankyou for saving my life.' And really, thank you," she said with all honestly. She then said with a bit of humor, "I hate job hunting and I haven't updated my resume in years."
Stark interrupted and said, "Actually, he only saved Yinsen. I was fully capable of rescuing myself."
Harry said, "So I've heard. Speaking of saving yourself, I saw some footage of you on the news earlier today."
Pepper looked at Tony and asked with a frown, "What did you do?"
Tony said, "Nothing I swear, I've been busy for the last three weeks." He turned to Harry and asked, "What did the news say?"
"Something about a silver missile rocketing through the city."
Tony scoffed and said, "Oh, those tabloids really will print anything these days. A missile, really?"
Pepper recognized Harry's knowing smile and gave Stark a suspicion filled look Stark tried his best to pretend to ignore by finishing his drink and saying, "I seem to be out so I think I'll get some more."
Pepper shook her head and said, "You're a genius too right? Can you check on Tony to make sure he's okay?"
Harry considered it and said, "I wouldn't say okay, but Tony is coping. The only thing though is if he is coping using unhealthy means or really unhealthy means."
Pepper sighed at the fact that Harry didn't bother to assume Tony had a healthy coping mechanism.
Pepper then asked, "Are you considering letting Stark International use those Metagems?"
Harry recognized that Pepper had shifted into business mode and answered, "Maybe. I own 11% of Stark International right now and Tony owns 40%. Together we hold a majority so as long as Stark agrees to a few limits, we can certainly partner up on a few things and make some interesting products."
Pepper nodded. "Tony doesn't have anyone he can bounce ideas off so even if you didn't give him anything, just being there to chat with would certainly help not only him, but Stark Industries."
"If he's serious about the no weapons thing, I have no problem with that."
Pepper gave a relieved sigh at that. Harry was considered the world's number one genius and with him helping Tony invent new things, Stark International would be fine even if they stopped producing weapons entirely.
Harry looked out and said, "I think something must have gotten Stark's attention because I don't think he's coming back."
Pepper shook her head and said, "That man has the attention span of a Goldfish sometimes."
Harry presented Pepper a hand and said, "Well then, it was very nice to meet you Miss Potts."
She gave him her hand and he took it and bent down to give it a light kiss. He was British after all and would always be a gentleman in such a formal setting.
Pepper rolled her eyes and said, "Just call me Pepper."
"Then next we meet you can call me Harry."
Harry left the balcony and didn't spot Tony at the bar or anywhere else so he headed for a side exit and left the building.
Shortly after hitting the sidewalk, Harry got a call and the ID showed it was Stark.
Harry answered it and said, "You coming back with that drink anytime soon."
Harry heard a hiss from the other side, [Yeah, sorry. Forgot about that. Something came up and I had to head out. Is Pepper alright?]
"She wasn't surprised which means you'll need to make it up to her which means you'll need to ask Jarvis to remind you to make it up to her when you forget to do it yourself."
[Good call. Anyways, has Stane contacted you yet?]
"He's certainly tried but my number isn't so easy to get. Why?"
[He was confident he'd have your shares soon and vote to kick me off the board. I was sure there was no way you'd sell to him so I had to ask.]
Harry laughed and said, "It seems he's working with Gene Khan then because before arriving he showed up and tried to muscle me out of my shares. I guess Stane assumed he'd succeed."
[That maniac? I'm guessing he didn't succeed then.]
Harry figured Stark knew that Khan was a cut-throat businessman but probably didn't know about the Mandarin.
"No. He did not. Why does Stane want you off the Board?"
[The bastard is double dealing under the table.]
"He's probably working directly with Khan then. There's no solid evidence, but I have my suspicions that the Ten Rings work for Khan."
[Wait, you don't think.]
"That he sold you out to Khan for the promise of a deal of some sort? No idea, but the possibility isn't low. Selling to both sides isn't easy after all. You need to sell to someone who can legally purchase the goods and secretly sell them to the other side. Khan Industries certainly fits the bill for that kind of partner don't you think?"
[Son of a bitch.]
"Language Mr. Stark."
[Did you just, really?]
"Yup. So what are you gonna do about it?"
[I'm going to find and dismantle my property.]
"With extreme prejudice I assume. Obscurus told me about that suit and I'm guessing you've made some minor improvements."
[You could say that.]
"Alright. I'll be in L.A. all week so if you need something, feel free to call."
[Can you call Obscurus and invite him over for drinks?]
"I'll think about it."
Tony hung up and Harry could only wearily shake his head and return to the hotel room. He'd made an attempt to murder in cold blood a CEO of a powerful corporation, he'd seen a Intergalactic Peeper, he'd pranked a spy he met at a bar with the truth, he met and made friends with the CEO of another powerful corporation who was trying to turn the day into a date with his assistant, and he'd uncovered a global weapons smuggling scheme with said CEO who was likely going to address it by equipping a suit of flying armor and blowing up all the weapons he found.
Was this normal for L.A. or was it just him?
*Notes from a Not Evil Djinn*
"Your wish for a new chapter has been granted, but now you must face an even worse cliff hanger, for everyone can guess what could happen next chapter, but can you guess how different it will be from the movies?
*Insert Diabolical Djinn Laughter here.*
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